Inside Kobe Bryant’s Mind Games: How He Tricked Metta Sandiford-Artest into Ejection with a Sneaky Elbow
Metta Sandiford-Artest, a former NBA player, recently shared a funny anecdote about his former rival-turned-teammate, Kobe Bryant. He reminisced about a time when Bryant managed to provoke him and get him ejected from a game. Despite their history as rivals, the two eventually became teammates and shared some memorable moments together.
Most NBA aficionados have heard of Metta Sandiford-Artest, also known as Ron Artest. Artest drew a lot of attention throughout his career, whether it was due to the infamy he gained as a result of the “Malice at the Palace” incident or his outstanding career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The forward established himself as a defensive blocker. As a bigger and stronger player, Artest was assigned to defend some of the league’s star players at the time. As a result, he frequently faced Lakers icon, Kobe Bryant..
The job of protecting Bryant, on the other hand, was not for the weak of heart. Bryant was a difficult cover for even the greatest players in the league due to his ability to get away with fouls. This element of his game, however, also helped him obtain the upper hand on Artest during one of their fights.
Artest remembered a moment when he was duped into elbowing Bryant on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. He stated:
“So check it, you know how Kobe is like. I went to the ref, and I was like, “Yo, did you not just see him do that.’ Then he said, ‘No, I didn’t see him!'”
Bryant elbowed Artest in the neck while battling for the rebound, according to Artest. Despite the reality that Bryant was not called, Artest became incensed, earning him two technical fouls and a suspension from league games.
“I go to Kobe, I’m like, “Yo, don’t you ever do that again, my guy!’ Kobe don’t care. Kobe focused on the game, right? Kobe’s a killer. He’s different.”
